Palliative care

Palliative care is available to anyone who is in any stage of a chronic or advanced illness. It is for people who are being treated for cancer or other serious diseases.

Palliative care treats pain and other physical symptoms, as well as emotional and spiritual concerns. It helps patients and their families understand their illness and treatment choices, as well as address financial and community resource options.

Patients may choose to receive palliative care services at home, in the clinic or hospital, or in other types of care settings. Patients and families have telephone access to a palliative care nurse 24 hours a day.

Understanding palliative care

Living each day to the fullest is so important for people who have chronic (long-term) or advanced illness. Palliative care can help people be as independent and comfortable as possible.

Palliative care is available to anyone who is in any stage of a chronic or advanced illness. It is for people who are being treated for cancer or other serious diseases. Hospice care is for people who have six months or less to live.

Palliative care benefits people who are living with pain and other physical symptoms, as well as emotional and spiritual concerns. It helps patients and their families understand their illness and treatment choices, as well as address financial and community resource options.

Allina Health Palliative Care's team approach is to make certain that patients with advanced illness get the highest quality of care in any care setting. This approach sometimes decreases the length of hospital stays and eliminates unnecessary emergency room visits. It can also ease transitions between the hospital, nursing home and other care settings.